Posts Tagged ‘SHTF’

Did you ever notice that looking at a gun is like morphologically analyzing a family member? Little Timmy might have Dad’s ears, Mom’s nose, Uncle Edgar’s dour disposition, or Aunt Edna’s penchant for eating her boogers. He’s his own kid, but the raw material is drawn from a motley well. Likewise, most tactical weapons come from recognized families.

If you were at work when an EMP hit, would you be ready? How would you get home? Do you have an office, work in the field, or travel for work? This article examines the difficulties you could face if an EMP hit while you were at work, and covers some of the basic SHTF supplies you should have with you or stashed at work.

Who can you count on during a SHTF scenario? That depends on the scenario, but when doing your planning there are two at least forces you need to consider. Even in a SHTF scenario, the government will respond, maybe not as quickly as you would like, but it will be there. Second, you will be there.

No doubt you’ve heard about the magicicadas coming out of the ground this year. It fascinates me hearing all these news reports and blogs going on and on about cicadas emerging this year; is this the first time the media has heard of cicadas? Being from up north myself, I’ve lived with cicadas my entire life. I’ve seen them flying around, shedding their skin, buzzing around and making quite a lot of racket. But it seems that everyone is in a tizzy about the Brood II’s emergence from a 17-year sleep. In case you haven’t, here’s a quick list of things to know:

Since 1996, Heidemarie Schwermer from Dortmund Germany has lived without money. In 1994, Schwermer established a local exchange group called “Gib und Nimm” (Give and Take) where people traded goods and services such as clothing, appliances, and babysitting. Two years later, she decided to try a year living without money giving up all she owned except a suitcase full of clothes to live a life on the barter system. Over 16 years later, she still lives without money.

A huge part of being successful at surviving during a disaster, zombie apocalypse or any SHTF scenario is to improvise, adapt and overcome. When supplies are limited, it will be imperative for you to think outside the box and think of alternative uses for the gear you have. Simple things like garbage bags become ponchos, shelters and water-catchers.

From Tess Pennington at ReadyNutrition.com: “It is safe to say that America is in a full fledged depressionary period and as the people are starting to feel the effects of the economic dead fall, they will look for alternate ways of obtaining products. We are in a bartering economy.”

The subject of survival in a long-term disaster goes beyond having stockpiles of beans, bullets and band-aids. Tess Pennington at ReadyNutrition.com believes that the “majority of those who will die during a long-term disaster will be from illnesses brought on by acute respiratory infections due to cramped living conditions, poor water conditions (or lack of water), or bacterial infections from wounds.” She adds, “If we survive a major disaster, America would become a Third World country, and the aftermath of such a scenario will be similar to living in Africa, Ethiopia, and India.”

You find yourself on a long hunting trip. You’ve been out in the woods all day and the common creature comforts of modern life seem farther away than that 12 point buck you’ve been tracking all season. You grow weary from the lack of luck and civilization is expecting you back.

Everyone should have a well-stocked room for shelter in place operations. While there are the obvious things that everybody needs for their shelter, there are also a few other things you may not have thought about.

This thing has so many uses, it’s ridiculous. The obvious use for this handy little device, besides digging of course, is to use it as a weapon. The operator can throw it like a tomahawk, swing it like a club, or use it as a defensive baton. There are entire websites devoted to the art of E-Tool fighting; I wonder how long it takes to get a black belt in Tae Kwon Tool? Aside from fighting, you can use these things as foldable toilets. Guys used to do that when I was in the service. I’m a bit too heavy for that to work, but some guys used them with decent success. An E-Tool makes a great poker for a campfire as well. It is the best way to keep from singing your eyebrows off when you are camping. After you stock up the flames, you can also use it as a camp stool, just tilt the business end 90 degrees, tighten it down, put the handle on the ground and have a seat. It isn’t as comfortable as the living room recliner, but it’s better than sitting on the frozen ground. If you don’t have one of these E-Tools in your SHTF pack, you sir, are unprepared.

Drilling a Hole Through These So You Can Smoke in Your Mask is Not Recommended

Have a gas mask? Me too, actually I have several. I spent seven years as a chemical weapons troop in the Air Force, so I know a thing or two about these things. The problem with after market mil-surp masks, isn’t usually the mask itself, it’s the filter. If you don’t have a good filter on your mask, consider yourself hosed. These filters have expiration dates, and once you open the can, the clock ticks a lot faster. Your best bet, if you want to truly stay ready for that chemical, biological, or radiological attack, is to have a fresh filter on your mask ready to go, and change it out regularly. It’s a good idea to have several of these canisters on hand too. Some chemical weapons have canister-breaking properties, in that once contaminated by the agent; you have to throw the filter away almost immediately. Now I know not everybody has access to high-end NBC detection equipment, so you won’t always know what is out there. As a civilian however, you will want to change out your filter regularly no matter what is creeping around in the air.

Having a comfortable place to sleep is something that most people overlook in their SHTF cache. If you are on the move, you may not be able to find a soft warm bed, and nothing is worse than sleeping on the cold ground outside. These cots are the same ones our troops use in the military and they work great. They give your back enough support and keep you off that awful ground. I have slept many nights on cots identical to this one, and I have no complaints. They fold up into a compact enough roll so you can tie them to your backpack, or just throw it in the back of the truck. The rugged material these cots are made of makes these things last a lifetime as well. I’m pretty sure the ones from my old unit were purchased during Vietnam. Now that’s long lasting durability folks!

Once upon a time you had to buy a GPS for the car, a handheld unit for outdoor hiking and Geocaching, another one for cycling, and yet a different GPS for boating. Enter Garmin’s nüvi 500. This device gives you one GPS with four distinct modes.